Hairpin Turn Collision Sends Two to Hospital

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — A two-car collision at the curve of the Hairpin Turn sent the drivers to the emergency room.

Police Chief Michael Williams said the injuries appeared non-life-threatening but both individuals were taken by ambulance to the emergency facility at Berkshire Medical Center's North Adams campus.

The accident occurred shortly after 3:30 and the scene was cleared at 4:08 p.m. It initially was reported as a head-on crash involving three people.

A gray Toyota Corolla heading east apparently took the V-shaped corner too wide and too fast and collided with a black Chevy Impala heading west. The Toyota's front end hit the Chevy's driver's side door, close to the yellow line, Williams said.

The Toyota was travelling higher than the posted speed of 15 mph but not at a high speed, he said.

The airbags deployed in both vehicles and the drivers were only passengers. The Toyota suffered heavy damage on the driver's side front end and the Chevy's driver's side door was buckled. They were towed from the scene by Mohawk Auto and Dean's Quality Auto.

The sharp curve was reduced to one lane traffic for the half hour or so responders were at the scene. Clarksburg Police were assisted by North Adams Police and state police. Clarksburg Fire Company also responded as did North Adams Ambulance Service.

The accident was still under investigation.

Husband's Ex-Girlfriend Charged in Case of Missing Clarksburg Woman

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff12:44PM / Friday April 21, 2017

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The husband of missing Clarksburg woman Joanne Ringer is the "sole suspect" in her disappearance, say authorities.

Ringer went missing on March 2; her husband, Charles "Chad" Reidy, was found dead on April 7 in the couple's garage.

"From the beginning, we have suspected foul play and have approached this as a homicide investigation and we have considered Joanne's husband, Chad Reidy, as the sole suspect," Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless said a press conference in Northern Berkshire District Court on Thursday. "Reidy's apparent suicide on April 7 has not changed that view."

Laura J. Reilly, 42, of Berkeley Street, Easthampton, described as Reidy's former girlfriend, was arraigned in the court shortly before the briefing on three counts of misleading investigators, an obstruction of justice, in providing erroneous information during the investigation of Ringer's disappearance.

Capeless said she had been arrested Wednesday evening and arraigned on the three charges. He declined to speculate whether further charges would be forthcoming.

Instead, he asked for the public's assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of Ringer, Reidy and Reilly between Thursday, March 2, when Ringer failed to arrive at her new job in Easthampton, and Friday, March 3.

Ringer, 39, was last seen at her home on Hall's Ground in Clarksburg on March 2, but never showed up at her new job driving a taxi in Easthampton. Her green 1999 Volkswagen Jetta was discovered on Exeter Street in Easthampton, less than a half-mile from Reilly's address, on Monday, March 6.

"We had kept hope that Joanne Ringer would be found alive. But seven weeks have passed since her disappearance and she has made no contact with family or friends, particularly with her 19-year-old daughter, Savanah, and animals that she loved were left without care at home," Capeless said.

He would not go into specifics other than to say information authorities had received pointed to Reidy.

"Obviously we don't rule out any possibility, but he has been the suspect from the start," Capeless said.

A number of Ringer's friends and relatives have said Reidy was abusive but Capeless declined to confirm that or whether Reidy had left a note. Reidy's death is so far considered a suicide although autopsy results are pending; the manner of his death has not been revealed.

Investigators have been searching around the couple's Clarksburg home, a rural wooded area on a dead-end road, and other areas of interest with the help of Berkshire Mountain Search and Rescue. Capeless noted turkey hunting season begins on Monday is asking hunters to be observant.

"We are not asking the public to conduct searches," he said. "But to be aware during normal activities and report anything suspicious and leave the investigating to professionals."

Reilly had not-guilty pleas entered on her behalf and her case was continued to a pre-trial conference on May 22. She was released on $1,500 bail.

The investigation has also been assisted by the Berkshire County Law Enforcement Task Force, the Berkshire County sheriff's office, Clarksburg Police Chief Michael Williams, North Adams Police Director Michael Cozzaglio, Easthampton Police Chief Robert J. Alberti, Northampton Police Chief Jody Kasper, and their officers.

"Returning Joanne Ringer to her family is the most important thing we can do," Capeless said. "We have been focused on that from day one."

Husband of Missing Clarksburg Woman Found Dead

Staff ReportsiBerkshires Staff06:19PM / Friday April 07, 2017

Chad Reidy and Jo Ringer in happier times in this photo from Reid's Facebook page. Ringer disappeared more than a month ago.

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The husband of a missing Clarksburg woman was found dead inside his garage on Friday.

Charles M. "Chad" Reidy, 42, of 61 Hall's Ground was discovered in his garage by police officers conducing a well-being check at the request of his family.

Based on the circumstances discovered at the scene, investigators believe Reidy took his own life.

Reidy's wife, Joanne Ringer, has been missing since March 2. She was expected to begin a new job that evening driving a cab in Easthampton but never arrived. Her car, a green 2001 Volkswagen Jetta sedan, was found abandoned in Easthampton, more than an hour away from her home.

Family and friends have been posting flyers and keeping up a Facebook page, "Bring Jo Ringer Home," in hopes someone can provide information on her disappearance.

Reidy and Ringer were married this past December and Reidy purchased the home last October.

His death and her disappearance are being investigated by state police detectives assigned to the Berkshire district attorney's office, the State Police Crime Scene Services section and the Berkshire Sheriff's Department with the assistance of the Clarksburg, North Adams and Easthampton police departments.

Police Find Vehicle Of Missing Woman

Staff Reports04:01PM / Wednesday March 15, 2017

EASTHAMPTON, Mass. - Authorities say the vehicle of 39-year-old Joanne Ringer has been found, but she is still missing.

Ringer went missing on March 2. She had last been seen in Clarksburg and was driving her 2001 Volkswagen Jetta to Easthampton. On March 6, authorities found the vehicle in Easthampton but she remains missing.

Police are asking for any assistance in locating here. She is described as a white, standing 5-feet 7-inches tall and weighing 130 lbs. She has brown eyes, but police say she could be wearing colored contacts, and has brown hair with purple streaks. She has several tattoos including the full length of her right arm. Specifically, she has a tattoo of a female image spanning from the elbow to the wrist and she has piercings on her face and torso area.

Anyone who has seen or spoken to Ringer or knows of her whereabouts is asked to contact the Massachusetts State Police at 413-743-4700 or the district attorney's office at 413-499-1112.

Police Looking For Missing North County Woman

Staff Reports05:29PM / Sunday March 05, 2017

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Police are trying to located 39-year-old Joanne Ringer, who was last seen in Clarksburg on Thursday, March 2.

Ringer was believed to have left Clarksburg in a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta with Connecticut license plates - 5AA EX2 - and possibly heading to Easthampton.

She is described as a white, standing 5-feet 7-inches tall and weighing 130 lbs. She has brown eyes, but police say she could be wearing colored contacts, and has brown hair with purple streaks. She has several tattoos including the full length of her right arm. Specifically, she has a tattoo of a female image spanning from the elbow to the wrist and she has piercings on her face and torso area.

Anyone who has seen or spoken to Ringer or knows of her whereabouts is asked to contact the Massachusetts State Police at 413-743-4700 or the district attorney's office at 413-499-1112.